Fuse testing attachment for a flashlight



Sept. 25, 1956 E. c. LANDOLT FUSE TESTING ATTACHMENT FOR A FLASHLIGHT Filed Aprih. 1953 m m lq e mM: M m nuff @A NN mh wm IWL/ hw ...W/WW@ m n RS wl (f a m ml L MJINI S a 4 f S .I V e n mv l. f Y m m h\ Q MN uw. WM u 5 E .XV 1 l \w\ o n m \m\, www NqlGL NWNNN m l l L MQ NU l@ @Q QN mNN QN Ill.. :ik

FUSE TESTING ATTACHlVIENT FOR A FLASHLIGHT Esther C. Landolt, Green Bay, Wis.

Application April 3, 19523, Serial No. 346,669

3 Claims. (Cl. 324-513) This invention relates to a novel attachment of extremely simple construction which is capable of being readily applied to a conventional flashlight for use by servicemen and others in the testing of fuses and similar items capable of carrying an electric current.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an attachment which can be readily applied to a conventional-flashlight for utilizing the current source thereof with the attachment for testing fuses, and which will not affect the normal operation and use of the flashlight.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment of extremely simple construction capable of being very economically manufactured and sold and which may be readily applied to a conventional ashlight for use therewith in increasing the normal utility of the flashlight.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan View, partly in section, showing the attachment applied to a conventional ashlight;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale and partly broken away, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figures 3 and 4 are enlarged fragmentary cross sectional views taken substantially along planes as indicated by the lines 3 3 and 4-4, respectively, of Figure l; and

Figure Sis a diagrammatic view illustrating the electric circuit of a conventional flashlight and of the fuse tester attachment.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the fuse tester attachment in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 7. For the purpose of illustrating one preferred application and use of the attachment 7, a conventional flashlight, designated generally 8, is illustrated in the drawing. The flashlight 8 is of a type provided with a casing 9 of electrical conducting material and which contains a lining sleeve 10 of electrical insulating material. The casing is shown as containing two conventional dry cell batteries 11 in electrical contact with one another in a conventional manner. However, it will be understood that one or more dry cell batteries 11 could be utilized. The forward contact for the forwardmost battery 11 is in electrical contact with a rear or base contact of a lamp socket 12 which supports a lamp bulb and which forms an electrical connection between said lamp bulb terminal contact and said forward battery contact. The side lamp bulb contact is electrically connected by the socket 12 and a reflector 13 to the forward portion of an electrical conductor strip 14. In the diagrammatic view Figure 5, a lamp bulb 1S is illustrated with the forward end of the forward battery 11 connected directly to the base contact thereof and with the strip 14 shown in direct electrical contact with the side contact of said lamp bulb. The conductor strip 14 is insulated from the casing 9 by a strip of electrical insulating material 16 which is disposed between said conductor strip 14 and casing 9. A conventional ashlight switch 17 completes nited States Patent "O yPatented Sept. 25, 1956 an electrical connection in a conventional manner between the conductor strip 14 and the casing 9 when the slidable switch element thereof is moved forwardly or from right to left to a circuit closing position. The casing 9 is in turn connected to the rear or base end of the rearmost battery 11 by the usual coiled spring 18 of electrical conducting material and which completes the circuit through the battery or batteries 11. The parts 8 through 18, inclusive, constituteno part of the invention but have been merely described briey in order to provide a clearer ICC understanding of the fuse tester attachment 7, and merely constitute one conventional form of flashlight with which the attachment 7 may be employed.

The attachment 7 includes an elongated plate-like body member 19 which may be formed of a lightweight metal, molded rubber, plastic or other suitable material. The plate-like body member 19 is bowed transversely from end-to-end thereof to lit substantially llush against a longitudinal portion of the casing 9. The body member or plate 19 is provided with an elongated opening 20 which is spaced from its ends and side edges to accommodate the switch 17. A forward end of the plate or body member 19 is provided with'forwardly extending transversely spaced ears or tongues 21 which extend downwardly and forwardly through two transversely spaced transversely elongated slots 22 which are formed in a forward portion of the casing 9. As seen in Figure 2, the forward free ends ofthe tongues'21 are downwardly oifset relatively to the rear ends thereof to engage the inner side of the casing 9, forwardly of the slots 22. The rear portion of the body member or plate 19 is secured detachably against the casing 9 by a screw fastening 23 which extends through an opening 24 thereof and threadedly engages a tapped opening 25 of the casing 9. The screw 23 is disposed between a rear end of the opening 20 and the rear end of said plate 19 and substantially midway of the side edges of the plate, as illustrated in Figure 1.

The side edges of the body member or plate 19 are turned or rolled upwardly and inwardly to form longitudinally extending tubes 26 and 27 which extend from the forward end of the plate 19 and the rear ends of which are spaced from the rear end of said plate. The forward ends of the tubes 26 and 27 are bent inwardly for substantially closing said forward ends, as illustrated at 28. A portion of the plate or body member 19 formingl a part of the bottom and forward end of the tube 26 is provided with an opening 29 which registers with an opening 30 of the casing 9.

,A testing lead, designated generally 31, includes a wire 32 of electrical conducting material which is encased, except for its terminals, in a tubular casing 33 of electrical insulating material. One exposed terminal 34 of the wire 32 is suitably secured, as by soldering, to a portion of the conductor strip 14, as illustrated in Figure 2. The encased portion of the wire 32 leads from said terminal 34, which is located within the flashlight casing 9, outwardly through the opening 30 and through the opening 29 into the forward portion of the tube 26. The lead 31 extends through the tube 26 and outwardly through the rear end thereof and is sufliciently flexible so that it can be turned back upon itself and the other end thereof inserted into the other tube 27 through the rear end of said tube 27, as illustrated in Figure l. The tube 27 is shown provided with a tubular lining 35 of electrical insulating materialy for insulating the exposed contact terminal 36 constituting the other terminal of the conductor wire 32. However, if the body member 19 is formed of an electrical insulating material such as molded rubber or plastic, the insulator lining 35 may be omitted from the tube 27.

The body member or plate 19 is reduced in width rearwardly of the tubes 26 and 27 and the rear end thereof is rounded and rolled upwardly and forwardly to form an arcuate forwardly opening channel 37, the open forward side of which is concave to detachably receive therein the arcuately bowed or bight portion of the testing lead 31 which extends between the rear-ends of the tubes 26 and 27. The terminal end of the testing leadA 31,` delined by the terminal Contact 36, may be displaced into the tube 27, forwardly of its position of Figure 1, so that the testing lead portion disposed between the rear ends f the tubes 26 and 27 can be inserted into or disengaged from the retaining channel 37. The slight normal resiliency of the testing lead 31 will retain it in said channel 37, which channel will thus function to retain the free end of the testing lead in a stored position in the insulated tube27 until said end is displaced forwardly of said tube for disengaging the testing7 lead from the retaining channel 37. Thus, with the free end of the testing lead disposed in the tube 27 the fuse testing attachment 7 is mounted on the flashlight in an inoperative position and when thus disposed, the flashlight 8 may be used in a conventional manner.

When it is desired to test a fuse 38, the free end of the testing lead 31 is displaced forwardly in the tube 27 to disengage the intermediate portion of said testing lead from the retaining channel 37 and so that the free end of the testing lead can then be Withdrawn from the tube 27. One end of the fuse 38 is then placed against a portion of the flashlight casing 9 and the terminal contact 36 is then placed in engagement with the other end or terminal of the fuse 38, as illustrated by the dotted line showing of the testing lead 31 in Figure 1. The testing lead 31 and fuse 3S will then bridge the switch 17 for completing a circuit from the bulb 15, through the strip 14, testing lead 31, fuse 38, through a portion of the casing 9, conductor spring 18 and through the battery or batteries 11 back to the lamp bulb 15 for energizing said lamp bulb with the switch 17 in an olf or circuit interrupting position, assuming that the fuse 38 is in good condition. lf the fuse is burnt out it will break this circuit so that the lamp bulb will not be energized. The circuit previously described is clearly illustrated in the diagrammatic view Figure 5.

After testing the fuse or similar electrical conducting element, the free end of the testing lead 31 may be returned to its stored position as illustrated in full lines in Figure 1.

If the body member or plate 19 is formed of material such as molded rubber or plastic, the tongues 21 thereof may be suitably reinforced or said tongues and the slots 22 may be omitted and the forward part of the plate may be secured to the casing 9, forwardly of the opening 20, by a second fastening 23, in the same manner as illustrated in Figure 4.

Various other modifications and changes are likewise contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

l claim as my invention:

1. ln combination with a flashlight and an insulation covered testing lead wire having exposed ends including one end which is electrically connected to an electrical conductor portion of the flashlight and including a portion located adjacent said end and extending outwardly through an opening of the flashlight casing; a storing attachment for the testing lead wire comprising an elongated body member, means securing said body member to the outer side of the flashlight casing and longitudinally thereof, said body member having longitudinally extending transversely spaced tubular portions having corresponding open ends and opposite closed ends, one of said tubular portions having an opening in the bottom part thereof disposed remote from the open end thereof through which the testing lead extends into said tubular portion from the casing opening, said testing lead extending through said tubular portion and outwardly of the open end thereof, the other end of said testing lead being disposed in the other tubular portion in a stored position of the testing lead, said body member having an outwardly turned back end portion disposed beyond the open ends of said tubular portions and defining an inwardly opening transversely disposed channel, said channel being arcuately bowed in a direction away from the open ends of said tubular portions for receiving therein a turned back intermediate portion of the testing lead, disposed between the open ends of said tubular portions, and in which said intermediate portion of the testing lead conformably fits for retaining the last mentioned end of the testing lead in a stored position in said other tubular portion.

2. In a storing attachment for a testing lead as in claim l, and a lining of electrical insulating material contained in said last mentioned tubular portion for insulating said last mentioned end of the testing lead wire from said body member in the stored position of the testing lead.

3. A storing attachment for a testing lead as in claim 1, said body member being forced of an elongated strip of metal transversely bowed from end-to-end thereof for conformably fitting against a longitudinal portion of the casing, said strip of metal having inwardly rolled longitudinal edge portions forming said tubular portions and which are disposed on the outer convex side thereof.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

